Lullaby
by Lily Maxwell The Dark Angel
Summary: [YYxY] Yami's sleep was disturbed once he found out his light was in distress. Coming to his rescue, Yami takes a look into his nightmare, and finds out more than he needed. [one-shot]


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To celebrate the character Yugi Mutou's Birthday (06/04)

Disclaimer: I do not own the anime/manga Yu-Gi-Oh, nor the song "Lullaby". They belong, respectively, to Kazuki Takahashi and the band Creed.

WARNING: _The following story contains Shounen ai Content (boy/boy love)._

Pairing: Yami no Yugi/Yugi

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Lullaby

By: Lily Maxwell

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There were no obstructions covering the shining silver moon that night. Tiny clouds persistently lingered in the dark blue ocean full of stars, moving ever so slowly, as if watching the town below. A soft breeze passed through the air, a blessing from the nature for such hot night.

People slept peacefully, while others not so much. The hot atmosphere forced some to twist and turn several times on the bed, sweat trailing down their pores. But others did not seem as disturbed by the weather, and only the nicest of dreams adorned their sleep.

But someone was not as peaceful in their sleep as most in the town of Domino. Actually, he was like no other in the city. He was oh so different. And his sleep was restless, something calling him, disturbing his slumber.

A clock showed that it was past midnight. While others were far from waking, his eyes opened slowly, something shining within his irises. An emotion of pain, mixed with concern, deep within the odd colored magenta gems. Sitting up, the figure held his head, eyes closed again, this time in wonder.

Well-built arms and chest were shown through light-blue pajamas. Semi-tanned skin was slight darkened due to the dim light in the room, and a deep sigh followed as the figure slowly stepped out of the bed. The feet touched the floor and from then on, followed to another chamber in a slight high speed, considering he was still half-asleep. He kept brushing long golden bangs out of his eyes, and helplessly tried to tame his wild black-tinged-crimson hair back.

And then he stopped, finally face to face with his destination. A light door faced him, and worry was evident in his eyes. Something just beyond that door called for him. Silent cries could be heard from through the barrier, and his heart ached as thoughts of the possible reasons for those cries echoed through his own individual mind.

The one within needed him. And with that simple thought, he stepped into the room without ceremony, wishing to stop the other's distress. There was no discussion on the subject. It didn't matter if he were woken up in the middle of the night, for him that was all but meaningless. There would be peace of spirit for him only if there was for the other too.

Many did not know about him. But he did not care about that. As long as the other needed and called for him, he would be there, always. Isn't that what he was there for? The people's opinions of him were useless to him. He was not there to take the other's place. But to take care of the other, simply.

But that argument with his conscience was pointless. He did not need those thoughts right now.

"Yugi?" he called, stepping forward, towards a white bed. He did not wait for an answer, though he wished one. Once he came upon the bed, he stopped, finding the other's figure there, as it was supposed to. He was asleep. Although he was internally troubled and seemingly restless, he was asleep indeed.

A nightmare, then? He thought, raising one charming eyebrow. He had confronted Yugi's nightmares before, but they were such a long time ago. There were no indications of anything that could cause such event, but it was not impossible, right? Young ones with the age such as he had usually had nightmares, not mattering the content.

For him, it didn't _really_ matter the content. The other was his lighter side, a part of himself. If not to give himself internal peace, he had the obligation to help him, as he had promised before. A pledge that wouldn't be broken... He had long ago sworn to protect the only one who really mattered to him at that life. He was merely a soul, a lost soul. Separated from its right time, thrown into an unknown future in which he had found himself again. One with a soul similar to his, a heart similar to his, and even an appearance similar to his own.

But still, they were so different. And that difference made a connection, some sort of completion that made them inseparable. If one were in trouble, the other would know. If one were in pain, the other would feel. If one thought of something, the other would hear.

And so, that closeness bid them together.

He closed his eyes, moving to sit beside the moving body. Reaching over, he tried to make him stop, but Yugi kept struggling and thrusting around. A low sigh followed, and with all the futile attempts to stop the restlessness, he dismissed the useless actions and brought the other's body against his own.

He didn't know if trying to soothe the little one would work in the present situation. Usually, they would be out in the material world. But now, they found themselves within the secret soul rooms that resided in their minds. Would trying to soothe a soul be any different from trying to soothe one out in the normal world?

Looking down at the still sleeping struggling figure in his arms, he touched a soft cheek, brushing away faded trails of tears, while others continued to fall down incessantly. He shook Yugi once, twice, but he did not awake. He continued to cry and cry out.

_**Hush my love now don't you cry**_

Frowning, a conclusion came to him. There was something in his dream that needed to be taken care of, or else his spirit would not rest, and his sleep would not be as pleasant as it should be.

"Shh." He whispered in the other's ear, while bringing him to his lap, and leaning over to brush their foreheads together. Closing his eyes, he held the other firmly in his arms, as to help controlling him. And slowly, his consciousness drifted somewhere else.

As he opened his eyes, he thought that his mind was tricking him into making him believe that his eyes were not opened yet. But that was a mistake. He indeed found himself in Yugi's dream.

But... had it ever been so dark? So deep into empty black depths as it was right now? He did not have a vague memory of any of Yugi's dreams being so lost in darkness as it seemed now.

And what was this that he heard? Were they echoes from the outside world, or were there sobs coming from somewhere within the space he found himself now? No, there was no mistake in that. He could recognize those and could feel them piercing through him like little and numerous nails or knives.

Aibou... He thought, hurrying towards the source of the new sobs. All around he could hear new voices, taunting, mocking, laughing and yelling at Yugi Mutou. His brows furrowed, and concern for his light's internal peace was clear in his eyes.

Just what was happening to Yugi?

He felt emotions coming from Yugi. He knew he had heard those words coming from within the darkened realm around before. He knew they were part of his past. And he knew he was running from them. Why were they pestering him? Why now?

Yugi tried to hide himself from his past. Was this what this was all about? Did he see something or someone that made him remember about his sorrowed past and made him have this horrible nightmare? What could it be? And why hadn't his hikari told him anything?

"Yugi!!" he called, coming to an abrupt stop, looking straight into the darkness as if it held his light captive. "Come out, hikari! I'm not here to hurt you!" he said, as clear as possible.

His eyes looked from left to right, waiting for his Yugi to appear. But it were his ears that got a sign from Yugi first, as he heard soft and uneven breaths coming from behind him. Turning around, his eyes met him.

And he looked like an angel that had just fallen from the bright sky.

The term was never more appropriate. Because it was a smaller form of Yugi who showed up before him, wearing all white, and big amethyst eyes looked at him with so much emotion he felt like his knees went weak. And yet, his cheeks were tearstained, and he shook all over, sobs making his shoulders shake ever now and then. Such a marvelously sad figure.

Was this how Yugi looked when he was younger? He could understand Anzu. She had every right to be Yugi's closest friend. If she met him when he was like this, then she should feel really blessed.

"Mou... hitori no boku?" came a small, broken whisper. The small Yugi looked at him longingly, as if there were doubts of whom he could be. Like he could be a projection of himself, ready to shoot insults at him, pointing the truth of all the comments he had heard before.

"Hikari..." he spoke sadly to himself, hurrying to pick the younger-looking Yugi in his long, warm arms. He could feel his spirit. So cold. So scared. And it made him feel as if all those feelings were his own... As if they were hurting him as much as they hurt Yugi.

There was more to their bound, he knew. There was more to those feelings he had, he was aware. But this was not about his feelings. This was about soothing Yugi's...

"Shh... calm down, love... Don't cry..." he spoke, not realizing what he was saying. Maybe little Yugi did not realize either. But none paid attention to the words. It was the intention, the emotion that counted. And they could feel it. The trust, the love radiating from the other.

_**Everything will be all right**_

"I can hear them... They don't like me... They... They hate me... and they say... All the things they say..." the younger Yugi spoke, in a crying voice that broke his heart. What was he talking about? Who were 'they'? Could he be talking... about the past?

"Who are 'they', Yugi? Tell me, and I will take care of them." He said, his voice firm, holding the little one tighter in his embrace. Yugi sobbed, and he felt his head brushing against his chest, moving from left to right.

"You can't." he said simply, making the other blink. What did he mean?

"Why, Yugi?" he asked, looking down at the form in his arms. Bright lavender eyes looked up at him, looking even sadder than before.

"You're not there." He said, making the other's eyes go wide. Could he really be talking... about the time he, Yami, was not with him? Could he be talking about the time he had not completed the Puzzle yet? About a time when he did not even _have_ the Sennen Puzzle?

But...

"But... I'm here with you now, Yugi." He said, and little Yugi sniffed. Small arms circled around his waist, and he took the opportunity to place his chin upon the other's head.

"I know. But..." little Yugi began to say, but he cut him off.

"They won't talk to you anymore... As long as I'm here, they won't bug you anymore, Yugi. I may not be the kind of friend you have ever wished for, but I'll always be by your side." He told the little Yugi.

The small hands that held him let go suddenly, and they slowly moved to his chest. He looked down and found himself, surprisingly, face to face with the Yugi he knew. The Yugi he met not too long ago. The Yugi he wasn't brave enough to meet until the time was right... The Yugi he only observed from distance, never once meeting his gaze until it was needed.

The Yugi he was afraid he would get too attached to. But... it was too late now.

"You're even more than I could have ever wished for." He told him, smiling. He could even feel tears threatening to fall, but he held them. He knew that those words were true... He could see them in Yugi's eyes.

And he never had ever felt before how much he meant to Yugi... Until now. All the meanings why the nightmare could have happened vanished from his mind. He could feel now that Yugi's spirit had calmed down, he could feel his peaceful soul leaning against his.

_**Close your eyes and drift in dream  
Rest in peaceful sleep**_

He leaned over and placed a kiss on the Dream Yugi's forehead, and closing his eyes, warped himself out of his dream.

Yami did not go back into his hikari's soul room, but instead, materialized himself into the Real World, in spirit form. He wanted to see if Yugi was finally at peace, even though he had a feeling he had finally calmed down.

The moon's light projected itself through the skylight, and illuminated the teen's room slightly. On the bed, not a single movement caught his eyes but the raising and falling of his chest, signalizing his breathing. His eyes remained closed, and his expression was serene.

The spirit moved towards the form of his protected. And sitting lightly on the mattress, he contemplated his light's features. Calm, finally resting peacefully. Curiosity passed through his mind as he thought about what could have caused the distress Yugi had been through. But he dismissed the thought. What mattered now was that his hikari was finally resting, and he would have to be certain that he would remain like that until dawn.

_**If there's one thing I hope I showed you  
Hope I showed you  
Just give love to all**_

Moving a transparent hand towards the other's face, he managed to brush a bang that obstructed the vision of his sleeping light. Nothing should keep him from looking at his hikari's face. If the gods blessed him with such divinity, then nothing could keep him from admiring it.

His lovely, sweet hikari. So pure at heart as he was at soul. Courageous, strong willed. Clever, amusingly clever. And gods... he was so beautiful. How could one creature ever treat his hikari with malice? Couldn't they see how special he was? Or maybe they saw, and envied him. Envied the old spirit, the only one person who managed to get into such holy creature's soul. The only one who could see him every day, every night, every minute, every second.

How could they ever mistake him for his hikari? It was obvious they were so different. If they were alike, he was blind to all the facts... And the other's spirit was so much more innocent than his had ever been. No.... mistake them was an unforgivable sin... If they did so, then they were missing his hikari's real traits.

At least... he thought, eyes soft and warm at the sight of his only, undeniable love. _Then I'll be the only one blessed with the real Yugi's heart...._

Everyone one else was foolish, then. But he knew that they were not worth his hikari's love... No one was, actually. But yet he blessed everyone with his bright aura, his cheerful spirit. He felt pity for the world, for missing such thing and ever daring to ignore it. He did not even know if he was worth his hikari's admiration, when it was obvious that he was the one supposed to be worshipped.

But that's just how his light was... Lovable to everybody. And he would never, ever want Yugi to change._  
  
__**Oh my love...in my arms right  
Every day you give me life** _

His eyes slowly blinked open, and he stirred in his bed. The sight that met him was so bright and light that he could not bare looking at it for long. After a few moments getting used to his surroundings, he was finally aware of where he was.

And he was aware of who stayed close to him.

Yami...? He noted in his mind, gazing at the exotic sleeping beauty resting beside him. One arm supported his head. The other was placed lazily around his waist. Their heads were lying pretty close to each other, and he could feel the other's soft breath brushing against his cheek.

He unconsciously blushed lightly, but a smile adorned his features. His hands, which rested against the other's chest, moved to his waist, and he hugged him closer. The other, in his sleep, just sighed slightly and cuddled him more. By now, they were holding each other as close as their sleep would let them, and the warmth radiating from the other made Yugi's eyes droop.

Was he here... like he was in my dream? Yugi thought, nuzzling the other's chest and sensing his characteristic scent. The one that always made his mind go blank and his skin go warm. His Yami's scent.

That night, was 'their' anniversary... It had been that date, so many years ago, that he had first laid his eyes on the Puzzle. He hadn't met Yami yet but.... He knew... He knew that that object would mark a special date in his life. He knew that, someday, that object would bring him memorable events. Would bring him happiness. Would bring him much more than he could wish for...

If it weren't for Yami, I don't think... my life would be the way it is now. I don't think I would bear... anything without him... Without his help, without his presence, without his words... He closed his eyes, and he could feel his consciousness trying to leave him. Just being close to him comforted, lulled him to peacefulness... And being in his embrace...

I don't think... I'd ever feel like this if it were someone else that would come from that Puzzle... I'm glad... that I met Yami... And I feel that every day that passes... I love him... even more... than I did the day I first heard his voice...

_**As I drift off to your world  
Will rest in peaceful sleep** _

In the real world, Yugi couldn't even touch the spirit. Yami laid beside him, but he couldn't feel his skin brushing against his own, and he couldn't sense the scent that usually drove his mind blank. But he was there. And Yugi knew it.

A smile was placed on his lips, and there it would remain as long as his soul was in so intimate touch with Yami's. Their sleep was peaceful and maybe only dreams adorned their unconsciousness.

Dreams in which they would say everything they wanted to say to each other... Dreams in which they finally admitted their feelings, and opened their hearts, with the courage that lacked in the Real World. And their conscience wondered... Wondered when they were ever be able to speak their minds and hearts out, and realize that there was more to their bond than they knew.

The clock advanced in time, and the moon moved in the sky as the hours passed. The stars, giving away to the brightness of the sun, slowly disappeared as the horizon grew lighter, and the mother moon moved away from its place, leaving the father sun to shine warmth into people's hearts and day._  
  
__**I know there's one thing that you showed me  
That you showed me  
Just give love to all** _

At first, he refused to wake up. He was so comfortable, so deep in calmness and feeling so perfect lying within the other's soul that he denied the day... For him, the night could go on forever, just as long as they could stay where they were. There were no words spoken in the air, but their hearts could feel the deep feelings coming from each other. What better form of love could it be than the silent one? They didn't have to speak, the silence would keep them together.

But he knew that he had to rise. He had to open up to the day that had arrived, and greet all the ones he had left the day before. However, he wanted, just once, to be selfish, and keep himself away from the world... Just lie in the other's arms, and lose himself in the moment, that could last for all eternity...

"Yugi, you're going to be late." He heard the smooth, velvety voice speaking directly into his mind, shaking his consciousness back into him. His eyes opened lazily and he could vaguely make out the sound of the alarm clock echoing in his room.

Turning the disturbing thing off, he sat up in his bed and noticed as the other materialized himself into his world. A smile went immediately to his features, as the other looked directly into his eyes.

"Ohayo, Yami." He spoke, his voice soft and tired, still lost in the sleep that remained within him. The other, not transparent like he had been earlier, smiled back in response at his hikari, and sat along with him in his bed.

"Ohayo, Yugi." He said, and patted the other's head. Yugi's smile widened, and he yawned cutely, leaving Yami to chuckle. "Did you have a nice sleep?" he asked, and Yugi looked directly into his eyes.

He knew he blushed, but he didn't really care.

"Hai. And I dreamt with you too." he said, and Yami raised one eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked, and leaned forward, looking closer at Yugi's face, the smile never leaving his features. "What did you dream?" he asked, and Yugi blushed even more.

Laughing, he tapped the other's nose, making him blink and go cross eyed, and winked.

"It's a secret!" he said, and got up his bed giggling, before the other could grasp in what he had said.

"Yugi!" he heard Yami calling him before he could go through the door, and stopped abruptly, looking back at him.

"Hm?" he inquired simply, and Yami's eyes shone as he smiled brightly.

"Happy Birthday." He said, and Yugi remained still. His eyes widened slightly, and his heart beat faster. So... he remembered?

Yami was caught completely out of guard, as the other launched himself on him, and was semi-aware of the soft lips brushing against his own. He had only a couple of minutes of realization and of enjoyment of the innocent kiss, before Yugi pulled back, blushing and smiling.

"Arigatou." He said, and was about to stand up when Yami pulled him back, and with a swift movement, kissed him again. This time Yugi was the one startled, but he was pretty aware of the other's actions, and responded as best as he could. His head tilted to the side as he enjoyed how Yami's lips felt and tasted against his own, while being completely intoxicated by his scent, becoming completely submissive at Yami, who held him tightly against him.

What seemed like an eternity later, but couldn't be longer than a minute, Yami let go of him, and brushing their foreheads together, smiled back at him.

"You're welcome." He whispered.

_**Let's give love to all**_

"Hey Yugi... you look so bright... Did something happen? Is today a special day?" Anzu asked, as they approached school minutes later. Yugi didn't feel mad at her for forgetting, and he didn't even know if she really forgot, but he only kept smiling as he had been doing since he left the Game Shop that morning.

"Nothing, Anzu... It's... nothing." He said, and kept looking forward. He could be a little selfish sometimes. The world wouldn't understand as much as he and Yami did... and only them. But Yami was special. The world did not deserve to meet him... At least... not as long as he wanted him for his own.

But the world could live without Yami. He couldn't.

:: _o w a r i_ ::

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One week late, but it's here... Please be aware that I don't really know when Yugi got his Puzzle, so forgive me if I'm wrong.

Don't forget to review, onegai.

Ja ne!


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